This Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Walnut Sauce is a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Succulent one pan chicken recipe with a luscious walnut sauce served over pasta, rice or cauliflower rice! CRAZY Delicious family recipe you need to try! Video included!
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
There’s nothing like a home-cooked chicken dinner, even more, a chicken breast dinner idea that comes together in minutes and tastes like a five-star restaurant meal. I’m talking about this luscious Creamy Walnut Chicken Dinner recipe.
Almost everyone I know is asking me for chicken recipes and chicken dinner recipes. It’s dinner with a mix of comfort food, good protein, and above all, it’s super quick!
So I know I speak for many when I say there’s nothing like a delicious home-cooked chicken dinner. Nothing.
Today’s chicken dinner is in fact a twist on a really old family recipe which is very popular in Turkey and Egypt. I’ve made several changes to it to keep the same delicious taste but make the recipe a little easier.
My mom also made this chicken dinner for us. While I always envy my Mom’s food because it’s a blend of sophisticated French cuisine with extra Mediterranean flavor, I don’t always get a chance to cook them.
It’s either I have no time, or if I have some time, I know my kids wouldn’t eat anything with fancy sauces so I pass. But this walnut sauce over pan seared chicken breast is probably one of the recipes I make so very often.
PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST
This is the first tweak on the classic Circassian Chicken that my grandma and mom made. Usually the whole chicken is boiled and the chicken stock is used for the sauce. However, I prefer pan seared chicken anytime over boiled or poached chicken.
For this chicken dinner I’ve used chicken breasts–deboned and skinless. You may use chicken thighs if you’d like.
Pan seared chicken breast is great for so many reasons:
- It develops the chicken flavor.
- You’ll get a delicate golden crust on both sides which is delicious!
- The chicken cooks in one pan, no mess!
- It’s quick!
How to Pan Sear Chicken Breast:
- You’ll start off by seasoning the chicken breasts on both sides.
- Make sure not to use wet ingredients (like lemon juice or tomatoes or anything watery). Also make sure not to use fresh ingredients like fresh garlic or onions. That’s because these will burn while searing.
- season the chicken simply with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder. You can add onion powder if you prefer the flavor of onions. Make sure you flip the chicken and season the other side as well.
- Pan sear the chicken breast in a HOT skillet! Make sure your skillet is preheated well before adding the chicken because you want that sear!
- To use butter or oil for searing is completely your choice and personal taste. I use butter here because I prefer it 🙂
- Now you’ll add the chicken breast on the skillet in a single layer. Don’t over crowd your skillet no matter how tempting it is to do that. 🙂
- Another thing you shouldn’t be tempted to do is flipping the chicken breasts too soon after they’re added to the pan. Give them time to sear and get that golden color.
- Flip them and cook the other side in the same way.
- Each side of the chicken breast needs about 3-4 minutes of searing.
- At that point you’ll remove them from the skillet and proceed with the walnut sauce below.
- However if you were to cook the chicken fully on the skillet and use it for something else, then to finish cooking the chicken all the way through you have to drop the heat. Drop the heat to medium, and cover your skillet with a lid (or even tent the chicken with foil) and allow the chicken to cook for an extra 4-5 minutes covered.
- You can use those seared chicken breasts for so many recipes!
WALNUT SAUCE
Oh what can I say about the walnut sauce. Pure lush! It’s not so strong that it overpowers the whole dish, yet it’s enough for you to taste something nutty and pleasant in the sauce.
The walnut sauce is infused with just a faint amount of garlic and fresh herbs. You can certainly use dried oregano if you don’t have fresh for this recipe.
The creaminess of the sauce comes from the walnut and also from a blend of stock and cream which are added to the walnuts. Classically however, my grandma made this sauce with chicken stock only (the chicken stock from the boiled chicken) and some chunks of bread soaked in that stock.
It’s just as delicious I have to admit, I just prefer the stock and cream version.
How to Make Walnut Sauce:
Using the same skillet that you’ve seared the chicken in, you’ll add butter (again you can use oil).
The garlic and walnuts go in and get sauteed for a few minutes until fragrant. Then the stock and ream mixture are added. Once the mixture comes to a boil, you’re ready for the chicken breasts to go back in.
Since we’ve seared the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes per side, they will not need more than 3-5 minutes extra in the sauce.
Remove the chicken and then blend your sauce in a blender for a creamy luscious sauce!
If you choose to full cook the chicken and then make the walnut sauce (as I mentioned in the notes above) then you’ll add in the chicken at the very end when the sauce is blended and ready.
How to Serve Pan Seared Chicken in Walnut Sauce?
I absolutely love this chicken dinner served over pasta. Something incredibly comforting and divine about that combo. However I think it’s just as great over rice like my grandma would serve it! Even with some crispy baguette and a salad.
I’m all for indulging today so I skipped the salad. It’s one of those days.
The good news is, I promise you’ll LOVE this winner winner chicken dinner and I won’t be surprised if you make it your go-to chicken dinner for those crazy days or just when you feel like indulging!
There’s something fancy about it, yet it’s so easy! It may feel like it’s coming out of a 5 start restaurant yet it came from my grandma’s kitchen ! 🙂
Make this Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and ENJOY!
CHICKEN DINNER TIPS
- Make Sure to season your chicken breasts with powdered spices (no chunks of garlic, herbs or onions etc, and no watery lemon juice or tomatoes, etc). This allows the chicken to develop a beautiful golden crust without any burned bits of food!
- Use butter or oil for searing the chicken.
- Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side and that’s optimal for the crust. If you wish to fully continue cooking the chicken in the skillet (not in the walnut sauce), then lower the heat to medium and cover the skillet for an extra 4-4 minutes.
- Ideally, I remove the chicken breasts to a plate, make the walnut sauce and continue cooking the chicken in the sauce.
- By doing so, the chicken absorbs much of the garlicky walnut cream sauce and this in return adds much more flavor tot he chicken!
- For the walnut sauce, remember that as it cooks and bubbles, the sauce will continue to thicken.
- You have the option to reduce the thickness of the sauce by adding extra chicken stock to your taste and make the sauce thinner.
- For an even thicker sauce, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes longer.
- Use a good blender for a smoother sauce!
- I love serving this walnut chicken over pasta, but it would taste just as great with rice, or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
CHICKEN RECIPES
Grilled Chicken Breast Skewers
Pecan Crusted Baked Chicken Tenders
Zaatar Chicken Salad with Fried Halloumi Cheese
Instant Pot Chicken Pasta Dinner
Italian Balsamic Chicken Salad Recipe
One Pan Chicken Potato Bake With Zaatar
Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Walnut Sauce
This Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Walnut Sauce is a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Succulent one pan chicken recipe with a luscious walnut sauce served over pasta, rice or cauliflower rice! CRAZY Delicious family recipe you need to try! Video included!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 pieces chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/4 cup table cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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On medium-high heat, preheat a deep 9-inch skillet with the butter. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano on both sides. Start searing the chicken for about 5 minutes per side until slightly golden, but not cooked all the way through.
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Remove the chicken from the skillet and lower the heat to medium-low.
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Add the extra tablespoon of butter to the skillet along with the garlic and walnuts. Sauté the mixture for a minute and add in the herb, and sauté for another minute. Add in the stock and cream and bring the mixture to a boil by increasing the heat to medium-high.
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Keep the heat at medium-low and add the chicken to the sauce. Allow the chicken to cook through in the sauce for 5 minutes gently simmering.
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Remove the chicken to a plate. Place the sauce in a blender or in a deep bowl and use an immersion blender to blend the sauce till smooth. Tate for seasoning and add in some salt and pepper to your taste.
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If the sauce is too thick, add some stock to thin it out. If the sauce is too run for your taste, allow it to boil for an extra 3-5 minutes until it thickens further.
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Serve the creamy walnut chicken dinner over some boiled pasta and enjoy! 🙂
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
CHICKEN DINNER TIPS
- Make Sure to season your chicken breasts with powdered spices (no chunks of garlic, herbs or onions etc, and no watery lemon juice or tomatoes, etc). This allows the chicken to develop a beautiful golden crust without any burned bits of food!
- Use butter or oil for searing the chicken.
- Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side and that's optimal for the crust. If you wish to fully continue cooking the chicken in the skillet (not in the walnut sauce), then lower the heat to medium and cover the skillet for an extra 4-4 minutes.
- Ideally, I remove the chicken breasts to a plate, make the walnut sauce and continue cooking the chicken in the sauce.
- By doing so, the chicken absorbs much of the garlicky walnut cream sauce and this in return adds much more flavor tot he chicken!
- For the walnut sauce, remember that as it cooks and bubbles, the sauce will continue to thicken.
- You have the option to reduce the thickness of the sauce by adding extra chicken stock to your taste and make the sauce thinner.
- For an even thicker sauce, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes longer.
- Use a good blender for a smoother sauce!
- I love serving this walnut chicken over pasta, but it would taste just as great with rice, or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
We liked this recipe a lot. As I was making it I thought of a few changes. We are really into texture and so I did a rough blend on the sauce. We’re calorie conscious and so we used more chicken broth and much less cream. We added dijon during cooking because we wanted a bit more of a kick. We served with a side of lemon just for a touch of acidity.
Everybody loved the finished product. This is a very good foundation recipe! Modification can be made still keeping to the basic instructions.
Oh I really like the sound of that walnut sauce. Good idea!
It’s a classic old family recipe, but a really good one!
This sauce is perfect for my chicken and a great new recipe I think it will be great on toasted garlic bread also!
I can’t wait for you to make it Claudia
Oh wow, I love everything about the walnut sauce!
It’s all about that sauce!
Oh wow that walnut sauce looks so creamy and delicious! I am definitely making this soon.
Thanks Beth!
Chicken is my anytime go to meal. Lovely recipe.
Thank you Sumit! glad you liked this!
What the heck is “table cream”?? Stick to terms in general use. Do you mean creamer? Maybe whipping cream? Heavy cream?? I’ve been cooking for 50+ years and a dairy farmer for 25. I’ve NEVER HEARD of “table cream.”
When describing the sauce, I would recommend changing the word ‘runnier’ to ‘thinner’. ‘Runnier’ doesn’t sound very appealing.
Hi Nancy, thanks for the recommendation!
Looks really good! Tender and creamy, guess it’s the best combo we could get!
Thanks so much Diana!! Hope you make it soon!!